


Fallen From Grace (And Forced Amongst Man)

by sweet_magnolias



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: And she's mad at Dream, Dream is a god, DreamXD is a god too, Drista is a god, Gen, Kind of Canon Compliant, Manipulative Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), NOT THE CCs, Realistic Minecraft, SMP characters ONLY, based off a headcanon, death is involved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29935497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweet_magnolias/pseuds/sweet_magnolias
Summary: “Hello, Dream. You seem desperate to get my attention.” There was no mouth to form the words, but that didn’t matter much. He could hear them inside his head. It was annoying as hell. Just like X always has been.“Well, I wouldn’t have had to do all this if you would just answer my prayers.” Dream fought to keep from clenching his jaw and to keep his voice level.“What do you want?”Straight to the point. Like always. “Oh, come on now, isn’t it obvious?” He tried to make his tone lighter, teasing.They didn’t reply. The only sound was the lava and the slow beating of their six wings.“I want to go home,” Dream finally said, his voice flat.A headcanon in which Dream pleads with his sibling deities to let him leave the server and come home.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Clay | Dream's Sister Drista (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Fallen From Grace (And Forced Amongst Man)

**Author's Note:**

> Content warning for manipulation and brief discussion of suicidal thoughts

“Wait, where were they?”

“I dunno, man. Some weird place connected to an abandoned mineshaft, from what they told me.”

“Anything worth fighting?”

Dream was slinking across rooftops, watching the people below move like ants beneath blades of grass. Pathetic, weak, hive-minded.

“Some weird gray fish. They, like, hatched out of the stone. He said it was the strangest thing, dude.”

Dream froze. A stronghold? They weren’t supposed to know about those, not here.

“I dunno, seems kinda lame if I’m being honest with you.” Dream moved around the edge of the roof to watch the two people talking in front of the bakery.

“Bro, that’s not even the best part. It’s so crazy, I almost don’t believe them. They found this room where the fish spawned, but also these weird frames in a square.”

“Dude, you’re about to lose me.”

“While they were in there, they were looking at the frames, and there was, like, a burst of light, and there was this weird thing, it was, like, huge, and had, like, tons of wings, and eyes all over its body except its face. Its face was blank, no eyes, no nose, no mouth. And then it touched the frames, and they just disappeared. And he saw the things hands, dude; there were giant eyes on its palms. And he said he heard a voice say something like ‘never return here,’ and then he blinked, and they were in the middle some random field. It took him three days to get back to our camp.”

“Okay, that all sounds like cap to me.”

“She said she saw the exact same thing.”

“Didn’t y’all bring a bunch of booze on that trip?”

“Yeah, but they were stone cold sober when they went mining, and they were sober when they came back. I’ve seen him get scared before, but she was terrified, and she’s not even scared to stab a creeper right in the face.”

“I’m sure it was just a bad trip.”

“I dunno, man.”

Dream’s heart began to race, and he moved from crouching to sitting on the slanted roof. There was no way, it couldn’t be. But the way he described them, the way his friends described them, it had to be. But why the stronghold, and why the end portal frames? It must’ve been important enough for them to leave their stupid high and mighty place and dredge their stupid robe through the dank muck of the server. Gods, he hated them and their pompous attitude. But if his prayers weren’t working, then maybe a stronghold was the answer.

Dream put the hardened ender pearls into the jar of blaze powder to ferment on his journey. He contemplated leaving a note for Sapnap or George in their shared common space, but it wasn’t like they would be around to see it. Or around to care that he was gone. He grabbed his netherite weapons and tools, strapping them in place next to the plates of his armor. He grabbed his shield and fixed his arm through the handles. He set out into the night, glowing with magic. No one else around was awake to see the purple shimmer disappear through the trees as he set out.

With every heft of the deer, Dream got angrier and angrier. He had exhausted his food supply days ago and had to hunt. Three different strongholds, _three_ , and all had had their frames removed, with only the annoying silverfish spawner decorating each portal room. The tunnels around it were empty, filled with dust and chests of loot still locked. They had thought to remove some of the frames a long time ago. They must’ve missed the set that the stoners had found.

A heavy feeling turned in the pit of his stomach. It wasn’t like them to just _miss_ something. Maybe they finally made a mistake. Maybe they weren’t perfect after all. Serves them right.

Dream yanked the deer’s hindlegs harder, making its head crack against a stone. He looked back at the thing in annoyance, the fur mangled from being dragged. He could’ve carried it across his shoulders, but he didn’t want blood all over him. So, he was content to drag, and it even lifted his spirits to leave the trail of blood behind him. Slightly.

Dream made it to the shallow outcropping of rock where he had set his cooking station up earlier. He began the process of skinning the young doe, and as he worked with his knife, the anger began to bubble. Slit in the hind legs to shove his makeshift skinning rack through. _Who do they think they are?_ Rope connected to the rack and the deer hoisted up, legs splayed to reveal the belly. _Forcing him to come all this way just for one conversation? Absolutely ridiculous_. The knife cutting the hide away from the muscle like butter, blood smearing on his hands. _He deserved better than this._ A swift cut in the belly, the organs spilling to the ground and filling the air with the smell of fecal matter. _A stupid mortal had gotten more face to face time than he had in years_. Cut the tenderloin, place it over the fire. Cut away the forelegs. Cut away the hams, leaving the body to collapse in blood and flesh. Salvage the meat he wanted. _How dare they, how dare they, howdaretheyhowdaretheyhowdarethey_.

An owl’s low hoot broke his train of thought, leaving him with a bloody mess, the smell of cooking meet, and a carcass that was bound to catch some unwanted attention. He cleaned his knife on a piece of spare cloth he had brought with him and sheathed it. He reached for the sword by his side. Finishing the deer had left him hungry for more, and he couldn’t wait for some beasts to happen upon him. He twirled the weapon around him, the purple enchantments leaving a dazzling light show around him. Oh, he would be glad to have some company.

A full pack and a sleepless night went with Dream on his next day of travel. He didn’t mind it; he hated sleep. Absolutely useless and a waste of time. And he despised the fact that sometimes he needed to do it. But there were mobs a plenty without any settlements with lights and pets to scare them away. And maybe _they_ were watching — he refused to entertain the idea of even shutting his eyes in rest if they were. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

After another dead deer and another week of travel, Dream figured he was far away enough from the last stronghold to toss an eye. He dug through his pack and pulled out the jar, radiating with heat and magic. He put his hand on the lid to unscrew it, but hesitated. It had been long enough by now that they were done fermenting; the eyes were capable of leading him to the next stronghold. But wouldn’t they be able to sense the magic? Then, they could destroy the portal frames before he even got in the chance to be in the same room as them, and he would be forced to start over. Dream sighed and put the jar back in the bag. He managed to find the other strongholds without the eyes, and he could do it again. He glanced around, finding an old oak in the forest he was in, and climbed up it. With a bird’s eye view, it wasn’t difficult to find a crack in the earth that was a telltale sign of a ravine.

Not even an hour later, he was so far in the sun couldn’t even light the way. He slashed his way through skeletons, zombies, creepers, and spiders, exploring every slight opening for the straight lines of brick and mortar of days of old. He listened intently to every splash and a drop of liquid, and hope began to rise in his chest when he heard the popping of lava. But every time, it seemed, it was just another lavafall or lava pool, not the base of the portal frames.

He was starting to get bored (and maybe even a little hungry), so he sat down in a nook he had mined out. He pulled out a piece of jerky and bit into it, just as something bit into his leg. He swore, and subsequently choked as his food went into his air pipe. He stood up and shook his ankle to get rid of whatever nuisance plagued him, tucking his mouth into his elbow as he coughed the food up. He drew his sword and swung it haphazardly, hoping to kill whatever dared to bite him. Finally, his throat was clear, though it was scratchy, and the dim light of the last torch he left on the wall glinted off of the blood smear on the cold stone of the floor.

Dream lit another torch, the heat blazing near his face and was about to mount it when the thing that bit him caught his eye. He whipped around, glee rising in his throat as he took in the bugged eyes and the silver scales littered in the blood. Silverfish.

All it took was a few more wrong turns before the brick pattern interrupted the smooth stone of the cave system. He mined his way through and began decorating the stronghold halls with mob remains, filling the air with sweet, sweet decay until he heard the chorus of lava popping and silverfish hissing. One quick jab of his pickaxe was enough the shatter the spawner and the magic inside. He mounted the steps, and to his joy, the portal frames were intact. Dream glanced around the empty room. If he was there, they were bound to come, and finally, _finally_ , he would get to speak his mind, and maybe, he could go back.

The conversation wouldn’t go easy. Oh no, they were stubborn, and Dream had a flair for the dramatic. Out of spare stone bricks, he built himself a pillar in the middle of the frames wide enough for him to sit on. He sat himself down on his little throne, illuminated by the lava below, a sad echo of his past, and waited.

Hours went by, and nothing. Dream rolled his eyes. They had to know. He pulled out the jar of eyes, and this time, without hesitation, he opened it. What used to be pearls had the temper of glass, hard and fragile. He grabbed one, heat radiating through his gauntlets, and placed it into the frame in between him and the top of the stairs. The magic of the frames and eye joining together clinked, and just like that, light filled the room.

Dream was forced to close his eyes as the sound barrier broke and the sun seemed to rise before him. Energy washed over him, the light dimming in waves. Once he could finally open his eyes, his excitement faded. His plan had worked, but now he had to actually talk to his sibling.

“Hello, Dream. You seem desperate to get my attention.” There was no mouth to form the words, but that didn’t matter much. He could hear them inside his head. It was annoying as hell, just like X always has been.

“Well, I wouldn’t have had to do all this if you would just answer my prayers.” Dream fought to keep from clenching his jaw and to keep his voice level.

“What do you want?”

Straight to the point. Like always. “Oh, come on now, isn’t it obvious?” He tried to make his tone lighter, teasing.

They didn’t reply. The only sound was the lava and the slow beating of their six wings.

“I want to go home,” Dream finally said, his voice flat.

“Do you now?”

Dream rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m tired of being here, I think I learned my lesson.”

They said nothing but drifted to the frame to the right of where Dream had placed the eye. They slowly made their way around the room, touching each frame and letting them crumble away in ash into the bubbling lava below. Dream refused to turn around and watch them work but listened as the sounds of destruction circled him. Eventually the filled frame was the only one that was left. They backed away and Dream looked at them where their eyes should be. They seemed to be thinking, and he waited patiently for his verdict.

“Dream, I am going to be straight with you.” He rolled his shoulders back, emulating confidence. “I have heard your prayers, and I have been watching.” He fought the urge to grin. If they’ve watched, then they must know he deserved to go back home. They’ve seen how well he’s tolerated humanity, how much of a team player he was with the great Blade, how he’s participated in their meaningless squabbles for the greater good. “You have learned nothing.”

Thanks to his mask, they couldn’t see his face fall, but Dream figured they would already know. “You still walk out your life in pride and arrogance. You seek violence for only the sake of violence. And it’s been peaceful at home for the first time in millennia.”

Dream’s blood boiled when the words echoed inside his head. “You can’t be serious.” He forced out a laugh, high and empty as it left is throat.

“I am. And Drista agrees with me.”

Dream laughed again; this time more genuine. “Drista? There’s no way.” They tilted their head. Dream shook his. “No, I’ll believe it when it comes out of her mouth.”

They raised their hand, and Dream caught a glimpse of a green iris with fluttering eyelashes before they snapped their fingers. With a pop, what looked like a young teenage girl appeared in the room, floating in the air beside them. “What the heck, dude?” she said, her voice raised. "I was in the middle of some- oh, hi, Dream.”She deflated. “I, uh, guess X decided to give you the time of day.” Dream fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he tried to turn up the sympathy.

“I’m sorry, Driz,” he said in a soft voice and using a nickname back from when the world was new, “I didn’t realize. I didn’t ask them to bring you here.” X folded their arms, placing their palms lightly over their flowing robe. Drista’s shoulders tensed slightly, rising up closer to her ears where they poked out behind her mask. This was going to be harder than he thought. “What were you working on?”

She moved slightly towards X before she replied. “A village. It’s in a swamp that has a good view of the ocean, plenty of walkways, you know. The works. It’s really pretty at night when the moon’s out.”

“Hmm, sounds interesting. What’s the catch?”

Drista scoffed and joined X in crossing her arms. “There’s no catch.”

“There’s always a catch,” Dream’s voice was carefully light and teasing.

“Okay fine, there’s a catch.” Dream nodded and leaned forward to let her know he was interested. “Underneath the village, I’ve made a section of bedrock that’s completely flat.”

Dream tilted his head, mimicking confusion. “That’s a little weird, but I wouldn’t call it a catch.”

Drista started to giggle. “I spelt ‘cock’ in a raised section. If they ever mine down that far-“ she couldn’t finish her sentence — both her and Dream had busted out into high pitched, wheezing laughs.

“Oh my gods,” Dream managed to squeeze out. He wrapped his arms around his midsection for good measure. “They’re going to be so confused!”

“I know right!” Drista inched closer towards Dream. Her shoulders were now relaxed, and her voice was light.

“Didn’t we do that to a mineshaft one time, made the tunnels spell a word out?”

“Yes, I remember that! It was, like, ages ago.” Drista rocked backwards in the air slightly holding herself while she laughed. “Do you remember that miner’s face when he mapped it out and realized what it said?”

“Gods, yes, it was priceless,” Dream said. From where Drista’s mask ended, he could see that she was smiling. _Now_.

“That was so much fun, wasn’t it?” he started, the laughter dying down. Drista reached under her mask to wipe her eye.

“Yeah, it was.”

“We have so much fun together, don’t we?” He made himself sound light, happy. X uncrossed their arms. Drista brought her hand slowly down from her mask. She tilted her head.

“Don’t you miss it?” _Softer. Sadder. Reminiscent. Innocent_.

“Dream-“ she started to say, but he cut her off.

“Listen, Driz—” she didn’t shy away from the nickname this time “—I know it’s been a long time. Aren’t you ready for me to come home?” Drista inched backwards, turning her head to look at X. _No, don’t look at them, don’t look at them, don’t look at them, say something_. “We could do something like that again.” She stopped; he had to keep going. “We could make the village pathways spell it out, or work on something other than villages. I saw an idea for an arena for games, that could be cool. We could host stuff, have people come in. It’d be fun. Or if you wanted to build another ocean monument.” She opened her mouth and shut it. Dream heard her exhale sharply through her nose. Oh no.

“X meant it when they said you had learned nothing.” _Oh no_.

 _Recover, say something_. “What do you mean?” _Sweet. Confusion. Innocence_.

She scoffed, but there was no light-hearted banter about to come from it. “I saw what you did to Tommy, _Dre_.” Her nickname for him was mocking. It made the hairs on his neck stand up.

“I didn’t do anything to him.” _Pull it back, keep it neutral_.

“So, you’re not the one who kept blowing his stuff up every week?”

“I mean, yeah, but he was being a brat-“

“You’re not the one who sabotaged invitations to his beach party?”

“It’s not like anyone was going to come-“

“You’re not the one who forced his best friend to put him into exile?”

“I didn’t have to force Tubbo, it was the obvious right choice for the greater good.”

“The greater good? The greater good?” Drista’s voice was rising. She dropped to the ground, the earth rumbling and her feet leaving a crater as she did. She slowly walked up the stone steps, each one cracking underneath her.

“Was kidnapping his cow and building a vault for everyone’s favorite things for the greater good?”

“Who said I-“

“Was manipulating a child to the point of suicide for the greater good?” She was at the top of the steps, standing over him — he had refused to move from his seat on the pillar.

“I didn’t, I saved him-“

“LIAR!” Drista reached forward and grabbed the edge of his shirt in her fist. She lifted him up in the air. Dream grabbed at her wrist to make space, to push himself away so that her fist wouldn’t be in his throat, so that he wouldn’t have to gasp for air like some undeserving peasant. “I saw it. I saw everything. I visited him in exile.” The air around them sparked with energy. Dream could see glowing white light spilling out from behind her mask. “He’s a child! And you took the discs just to play with him. I hear the mountains I built in the extremes groan with what you’ve carved out under them. How you work and scheme to get control over this place.”

“I- didn’t-“ Dream wheezed.

“Don’t lie to me! Creation is mine, and I hear it!” Drista pivoted, throwing him against the wall. The old stone cracked underneath the force, and his breath was knocked out of him. He groaned, and Drista rose, floating over to where he lay.

Dream pushed himself off the ground. “They are insignificant,” he said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore his whole body screaming at him. “They fight wars, they betray each other, they try to start families, and they don’t know that all they do is meaningless. They have no context for their choices, no idea.”

“They make it significant,” X’s voice echoed in their heads. “And you punish them for it. How does that make you better than their meaningless fights, if it is indeed meaningless?”

“I am better than them,” he hissed.

“You don’t understand-“ Drista started, but X was shaking their head. They laid their fingertips on her shoulder, and Drista faced them. X whispered something, but Dream was not included. She nodded, and with a crack, she disappeared.

“Drista!” he yelled, but his voice was hoarse from being choked.

“She falls to your schemes no longer.”

“You turned her against me!”

“You did that yourself. Were you only practicing on Tommy?”

Dream pushed himself to standing, shaking. He let his hand rest on the wall. “Let me go home. I don’t belong here.”

X shrugged, sending ripples down the flowing robe. “It’s not up to me, or Drista, for that matter,” they added, when Dream opened his mouth to protest, “so don’t try to get me to call her back here.”

“What do I need to do, X? I’ll do it.”

X chuckled, the sound low and chilling; it sent shivers down Dream’s spine. “What if I asked you to destroy the vault, would you do it?”

Dream’s mouth tightened into a thin line.

“Would you give the boy back his discs? Give him back his cow? Let L’Manburg be free? Give that map you have lying around to Technoblade for free without making him promise a favor? No? Don't worry, you don't have to answer, and you can stop thinking about coming up with an answer, too. I know what you really want. Ever since you held her favorite angel hostage, you have relentlessly pursued power and control. You are never satisfied, and it will consume you.”

“Let me go home, get my powers back, it’ll consume me faster. Then you won’t have to deal with me.”

X laughed again. “Oh, Dream, it’s not up to me.” They began to glow brighter, magic spilling from their robes. Their scepter appeared in their hand. _No, no, no, not yet_.

“Why do all of this then?”

The light leveled for a moment. “It seems you had forgotten.”

“Forgotten what?”

“Don’t piss Death off. She’s tired of dealing with the aftermath of your playthings.”

The air shimmered, his eardrums throbbed, and then his body hit the ground with a thud. Dream scrambled the get up, his boots slipping through the dewy grass. He turned in circles, the rolling fields filling him with a sense of doom. He threw his head back and yelled. “X, come back, you coward!” There was no response. Dream yanked off his helmet a chucked it across the field, hitting a tree and sending a crack up through the trunk. He pulled out his sword and plunged it into the earth with such a force that part of his guard touched the ground. He fell to his knees and pulled it out, lifting it above his head, and then bringing it down again and again. He kept stabbing until the earth shifted in front of him and only a hole was left. He flung his sword to side and lurched over, elbows hitting the ground, fingers grabbing at the tall grass, nails in the earth, pulling until the roots strained.

He screamed.

The sound echoed and returned empty.

**Author's Note:**

> First post on here and written on a whim. Let me know any honest criticisms and thoughts; I would love feedback!


End file.
